1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an ignition system for an internal combustion engine, and more particularly to an ignition system in which electrical power losses due to high-voltage lines to and from an ignition distributor are eliminated because the ignition system does not include high voltage lines connected to an ignition distributor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As is well known, a typical prior-art ignition system for a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine comprises an electromagnetic pulse generator for clocking and directing ignition timing for each cylinder, an ignition advance-angle control unit for controlling advance angle in accordance with engine speed and intake vacuum pressure, an ignition unit for generating switching signals in response to the signals from the ignition advance-angle control unit, a power transistor for turning the primary current of an ignition coil on and off in response to the switching signals. In addition to these elements, in order to distribute the high voltage generated in a secondary winding of the ignition coil, the prior-art ignition system usually comprises a center cable, a distributor, and a number of high-voltage cables, in order to distribute ignition energy to the ignition plug for each cylinder.
In the prior-art ignition system, however, the power loss is very large due to joule effect losses, i.e. I.sup.2 power losses, in the center cable, high-voltage cables and spark loss between a rotor and electrodes of the distributor that is, power consumption is great and therefore the efficiency of energy conversion is very low, thus unnecessarily increasing power consumption or fuel consumption rate.
The prior-art ignition system will be described in more detail hereinafter with reference to the attached drawings under DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS.